Mariners prospect throws no-hitter in Class A

Any Mariners fans who are believers in baseball omens might take heart from this All-Star break news: Victor Sanchez, one of the club’s top prospects, threw a no-hitter for Midwest League Class A Clinton, IA., Wednesday night, missing a perfect game by a first-inning hit batsman as the LumberKings beat the Lansing LugNuts 1-0.

The 18-year-old Sanchez, a 6-foot, 255-pounder from Rio Chico, Venezuela, had eight strikeouts in the complete game attended by 847 customers on a sweltering night at Ashford University Field. He improved his record to 2-4 with a 2.83 ERA. Two eighth-inning errors put runners on the corners, but Sanchez struck out the inning’s final batter.

At year ago at Low-A Everett, Sanchez was 6-2 with a 3.18 in 15 starts with the AquaSox. He had 69 strikeouts and 27 walks. Entering the Clinton game, he had 57 strikeouts and eight walks but 10 batters hit.

The no-hitter was the seventh in Clinton’s 77-year minor league history, but the third time this season the Lugnuts had been no-hit.

Here is the scouting report on Sanchez from Baseball America when the Mariners signed him in June 2011, when some called him the best pitching prospect in Latin America. The Mariners reportedly signed him as a 16-year-old for $2.5 million.

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